


Let Me Be Your Star

by roosterteethrambles



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Smut ahead, also. cole as a camboy, just nsfw all round
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 06:19:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16867720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roosterteethrambles/pseuds/roosterteethrambles
Summary: You're lonely one night and one late-night internet search has you seeing your friend in a whole new light. Spin-off of Black and Blue, a multi-chapter fic by adamantium-ellis on tumblr





	Let Me Be Your Star

**Author's Note:**

> MY MAGNUM OPUS. The bane of my existence for so long. The longest fic I've ever released.

The moment the hammer first hits the bell, a flood of students flocks to the exit, each individual standing from their seat and grabbing their bag in one swift motion. You sit back and wait for the majority to fan out, watching with amusement as slowly the ones who had slept through realise that the lecture’s done with. When you eventually feel it comfortable enough to leave yourself, you notice one more person still asleep a few rows in front.

You’ve known Cole since before he dyed his hair pink after hanging out with the Fading Vivids, but lately something feels slightly off. It’s not to do with the band, the change has happened since that had started. He barely stays on campus for long once classes are over for the day, and yet for someone who spends all his time in his dorm he’s always super tired. You first suspected video games but reports from his other friends said he’s barely online, and even when he is he bails early.

You reach out to tickle his neck, wiggling your fingertips across the tattoo that creeps across his collarbone and up his neck. He cowers with a snuffle and you laugh. He looks up at you, blinking dark, heavy-lidded eyes before smiling wearily, “Oh, hey! What’s up?”

You look at your watch and then show it to him. “Class has been over for like 5 minutes now, buddy.”

“You’re still here too,” he mumbles wearily in defence.

“I was sat over there,” you point to the other side of the hall. “You’re like right next to the door.”

He shakes his head, rubbing his face with both palms and yawning widely. “Was waiting for the crowd to die down, must have ended up asleep.”

You fold your arms. “Sure,” you nod slowly, raising your eyebrows. He looks up at you and laughs weakly. “You need to get some actual rest!”

He waves you off, “Yeah, I’ll get it.”

“What is it that makes you so sleepy all the time, anyway?” you ask sincerely.

He shrugs, “I just don’t get much at night, I dunno,” as he stands, gesturing for you to walk in front of him. He walks with you to your next class, saying that it’s quicker for him to get back to his dorm from there anyway.

You talk about small, inane things and you wish you could say more to him. Sure, his eyes are rimmed with dark circles that hang below his eyeliner, but his eyes always sparkle with energy. He always has that crooked smile, and those pink curls always seem to look effortlessly perfect – which, you assume, they must be, as Cole wouldn’t prioritise his looks over sleep normally.

You spend all day wondering what brought the sudden change in him. Could it be the band, you think? Sure, they’re expressing concern for him too, but maybe their lifestyle is taking a toll on him and he’s trying not to show it. Maybe something’s going on at home – obviously, there’s no way for you to find out unless he ever feels comfortable telling you, but you still can’t help but think of little ways to keep encouraging him to get through the day.

As you lay across your bed, your roommate asks you one more time if you’re  _ sure _ you don’t want to come to this party. You make them well aware that no, you just want a quiet night in. “Alright,” they tease, “but I don’t wanna come back to you fast asleep while you still got porn or some camboy on the screen!” You flip them off and they blow you a kiss as the door swings shut behind you.

You carry on browsing the internet as usual, but something sticks in the back of your mind. Your roommate had mentioned cam _ boys _ . You’ve heard of camgirls, naturally – you’ve met plenty of teenage boys. But guys doing the same thing seems unheard of. Was it a trick, that if you Google the word something even worse pops up?

Eventually, a way into the night, you give into temptation. There are sites for men who want to watch men, women who want to watch men, any gender who want to watch men. There are sites dedicated to showing off older hosts, some younger.

You click on one for college boys and scroll through the list. They all seem to have rather extreme body types, and there’s quite a few you’re certain probably shouldn’t be in the “college age” section, but all of that goes away when you see Flynt. His profile picture has hair a very familiar shade of pink, with very familiar curls. The crooked smile is familiar too, as are the excited eyes, though the bags underneath them aren’t there.

You bite your lip as you hover over the bold flashing icon saying  _ Online Now! _ This is about to confirm for you that either someone is using your friend’s picture without his permission – highly unlikely – or that you’ve just found the reason he’s so tired in the day – basically certain.

No, you can’t click that. That would be crossing some kind of really weird boundary. But you have had a crush on him since you’ve known him. But who knows what kind of show he puts on. What if he’s  _ naked? _ Can they even do that on publicly accessed streams or is that done privately?

As your tooth practically goes through your lip, you click the icon and squeeze your eyes shut. The audio cuts to him mid-sentence, “-o yeah, the last gig went pretty well, thank you for asking!”

Cole is still fully clothed, reading through the chat and talking to them accordingly. The “tip jar” counter quickly fills up in ones and twos. You can’t see the chat comments yourself properly – they’re greyed out with a notice telling you to sign up in order to interact with chat. Fuelled with adrenaline and all sorts of other hormones, you create an account and type out, “Hey, Flynt!”

He studies the chat for a bit and his face lights up as he says, “Ah, new person in the chat! Hi, [username]! Welcome! Rules and prices are down in the thing below the video, I hope you enjoy your stay!”

You scroll down to click the Rules section. It’s more to do with the conduct of being civil to each other in the chat, and not harassing Cole. Lower donations get you a personal shoutout, a reading of your choice, a song played of your choice. As the prices raise, so does the intimacy of the show. You can literally buy the clothes off of him, and if you donate enough you can even arrange a private screening just with him. 

Looking at the top donation option, you wonder who has $500 just laying around to do that. Does he see the person who paid him, or is it just like this again? Is it safe? Do they know where he lives? Is that information given out when you donate? You type out,  _ How does donating work if we want to stay anonymous? _

Cole reads it aloud with an, “Aw, sorry new kid! Yeah, you just put your username in and that'll be all I see, and my username up there is what shows on your receipt. Thanks for thinking of donating!”

Just as you open the tab - not because you're objectifying him, of course, you're helping out your friend...Even if the amount you're helping him with also amounts to him taking off an item of clothing, $50 is a nice round figure! - an alarm sounds and by the time you switch tabs Cole is pulling his shirt off.

You see his tattoos peek out of his shirt every now and then, but never fully - until now. The curved horns you see climbing his neck so often form a Taurus sign - figures, since it's his star sign. A thunder cloud sits in the crook of his elbow - that must have hurt - and across the other forearm is an intricate design, as though his skin has been torn to reveal circuitry underneath.

The alert for your donation flashes up soon after and Cole notes, “Gosh, you're all eager tonight! Thank you, [username]!”

You type out  _ Hey now, I sent that just before the first one went through! _ and he reads it aloud with amusement, “Keep telling yourself that, newbie,” he winks to the camera and you know he's only playing up to get more tips, and you  _ know _ he's not talking to you directly, just the username he saw in his donations box, but it still gives you flutters.

_ I still paid for a service _ , you find yourself typing, which he laughs at again. “Ooh! I like your attitude, newbie. I hope you stay.”

He's talking to a username, you remind yourself, not you. He knows you for you, the same way you know him as Cole. That's all. Flynt has no idea who [username] is. Don't get yourself too attached, you tell yourself.

_ That cloud must have been painful _ , you write. He reads it and answers with, “Yeah, that's why I got it! I heard that it's one of the most painful places to get one done so I thought hey, might as well get that out of the way! Now stop distracting me, you, you're the one that reminded me that I owe you!”

You watch as he deliberately sways his hips while shimmying out of his unfairly tight jeans.  _ I feel a lot more generous again _ .

Cole bends down to read your comment and you realise as it flashes against the light that a silver bar sits in his nipple. Goddamn. He grins, “Well I won't stop you if you really want, but your $50 was very well received!”

_ Well, it seems that apparently I HAVE to return since you're basically BEGGING me to so I'd better save for future shows!  _ “That's just you not wanting to admit that you want to come back of your own accord. Don't pin this all on me.”

_ Could I pin something else on you?  _ At this point you're not sure who's typing but that is definitely not something you would normally say to anyone, let alone a guy from your class you have a thing for!

“Only if it's your body, [username],” he winks again and your insides soar, tickling you.  _ Flynt, please. You don't even know what I look like.  _ “Looks aren't everything. Oh!” 

Another alert shows that someone has donated $250. “Thank you so so much!” he beams. “You wanna take this privately or is this one a gift?” he smirks. The donator tells him they'd prefer something private so Cole shrugs, “Sorry, guys. I'll be back in about 30!” 

With that, the screen goes black and you see your own flustered face reflected in the monitor. That was Cole. That was the guy who had tripped over you in the hallway on the first day to make sure he wasn't too late to register for the anime society. The guy who sits behind the stage for the Fading Vivids. The guy who sleeps through his classes...Because he’s up all night entertaining people.

You shut the laptop off and place it on the floor, tugging your comforter over you and promptly trying to fall asleep. It works well enough, but your dream of Cole's hips bucking like that underneath you has you wake up in time for your roommate to drunkenly stumble in. “So how was the party?” you smirk.

They shrug. “S’alright. That Vivid band never played. Too many people already had plans or some shit, I dunno,” they slur as they flop onto their bed. 

You take the pole you guys usually use to operate the TV from the comfort of your own beds and prod them in the side. They squirm away from you but you persist. “Makeup. Off. Pyjama pants. On. You'll thank me later.”

They grumble, but do as you say. They do thank you when you both wake up again, and they fill you in more on the party. Turns out the tech guy bailed last-minute once he heard they weren't getting paid for it, and the singer decided to work more on some project for his art class. 

To you, it's obvious why. If Cole is in a position where he has to do what he does in order to make money, he's going to choose that over an unpaid concert. But to your roommate, it was selfish of him to do that - they were saying that a little voluntary exposure never hurts a band’s image, but a stunt like that will.

You want to defend Cole, but doing so would mean you'd have to admit to knowing the real reason why, which would not only expose him as a camboy, but you as a viewer of such content - moreover, a viewer of your  _ friend _ doing such a thing.

You shake your head, choosing instead to just not respond at all. You decide a walk to the store will do you good, clear your head, try and get you focusing on anything other than Cole Gallian’s nipple piercing.

Of course, it doesn't help that you run into him at the store - quite literally. It also doesn't help that halfway through your shop you regretted not picking up a basket so your arms had been piled up with products when you collided.

He swivels around and grins, greeting you excitedly by your name before bending down to help you. He rolls his sleeves up as he does so and you notice the cloud tattoo again.

“I never knew you had that,” you lie coolly, trying to keep your voice calm.

It seems to work, as Cole looks to it and displays it out to you. “Yeah! First one I ever had done! I'd actually done a little bit myself with a stick and poke set,” he traces around a raised outline, “but I am not the most coordinated artist, especially on myself!” he laughs. “So I got my friend Jon to take me where he gets his done.”

“Why the cloud design?” You ask. That one's a bit more confident, since you definitely hadn't asked that last night so he can't trace it back. 

Cole throws your stuff in his basket and continues as he starts to walk down the aisle, gesturing for you to follow him around. “I dunno, it was just A Design to get done, y’know? I'd heard somewhere that there is one of the most painful places and-” he stops dead in his tracks, looking away with a confused look.

“Are you alright?” You ask with concern.

Cole looks over to you and grins, “Yeah! It's just I had a weird sense of dêja vu, but now I realise I was talking about this tattoo last night.” As if right on cue, he yawns widely. “You're in your pyjamas awful late in the day!”

“I should say the same thing, Yawny McYawnerson!” You note, gesturing to the baggy casual attire Cole is wearing. 

Cole scoffs at the name. “Yeah, well. It's Saturday, sue me.” he shrugs. “Were you at that party last night?”

“If you were, you'd know that I wasn't. I don't really  _ do _ parties,” you respond dryly before cringing, realising you'll need another excuse.

Cole takes a box of grapes and puts it into his basket, picking one out and eating it. “Well clearly, you've not partied with the right people.”

You smirk, “Cole Gallian, if I didn't know any better I'd say that was an invite.”

“Good job you don't, then! God, where's this version of you been? I like it,” he comments happily as he continues. You're whisked back to him saying the same thing to your username last night. You start to worry just how much you've jeopardised any chance of a potential relationship with him now that you've watched one of his shows.

“W-well, normally the only chance I get to see you these days is to wake you up,” you note pointedly.

Cole rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah, I, uh...I am not a day person.”

_ That’s not true. You still could be. Flynt isn't. _ “I feel that,” you comment, and Cole's eyes narrow.

“Really? You always seem so chipper in class.”

You have a feeling that's soon about to deteriorate. “Well. It changes depending on the season,” you shrug it off, and Cole nods.

“I get that,” he replies as you guys stand in line.

“So,” you break the silence, “why weren't you at the concert?”

“You'll think I'm an asshole for saying it,” he sighs.

“Never!” You shake your head, and he smiles crookedly at you.

“Cute,” he comments, and you can't help but smile bashfully. “Well, I'm just sick of us doing shit for free just for the ‘exposure’. Like. People know us on campus by now. There's no need. If someone was at a party that could actually help the Vivids continue, I'd do it, but I'm sick of doing my job for nothing and essentially giving handouts when I could be doing something more productive.”

You're moving into dangerous territory here. You could easily let on that you know what he gets up to, so you hastily avoid the subject. “So, we were talking about your tattoos. I know know about the cloud, but you have others.”

Cole pulls down his collar to once again reveal the Taurus sign, “Three guesses why I got that one,” he smirks.

“You're a very confused Pisces,” you tease and he nudges you lightly with his elbow.

“Hilarious. Someone get this kid on stage,” he deadpans and you grin. 

“Just because I'm funnier than  _ you _ !” You tease. Again. You're not one to tease. Apparently [username] is coming out now. This is  _ very _ dangerous territory.

“Oh! So that's how things are!” Cole scoffs. “Alright.” Once he puts all his things on the conveyor belt, he hands you a divider. “Your spratchet,” he announces.

You lean back, glaring at him. “My  _ what _ now?”

“Spratchet! That's what this thing is called!” Cole waves the “spratchet” around in front of you.

You roll your eyes. “Of course you know the name for that.”

Cole nods happily, placing it behind his stuff. You both pay and head back to your dorm block together, chatting about classes and projects and other people in your lives. You chance asking him what he's up to tonight and he quirks an eyebrow. “Why?”

You shrug, “Making more conversation.”

“I got Vivids stuff on tonight,” he explains. “Wanna sit in?”

“Oh,” you shake your head. As much as you do talk to the band, it's different sitting in on their practice. “I couldn't. But thank you for the offer!” 

“I mean, it's not that you're not welcome. Jon's friend...Girlfriend...Whatever sticks around now, Barbara has Aaron stay for it.”

“They all have one thing in common that I don't - they're all dating someone in the band,” you point out. You even add a cocky, “Now look who's trying to ask who out!”

He gasps, “That is a reach if ever I saw one!”

“You  _ wish _ ,” you laugh back, stopping yourself yet again. Damn [username] being so much more charismatic around Cole and wanting to talk to him like that more. It was just going to cause embarrassment.

“Well. I'm starting to,” Cole winks at you and your heart jumps to your throat just as it did when he did the same over the Internet. He holds your free arm with his free hand. “I'm serious about that offer though. Just swing by dorm 245 before six and I'll take you.” With that, he nods and heads over to that building. 

You trudge back to yours, your mind swimming. Sure, you could go. But people might assume you and Cole are dating. Is that such a bad thing? It sure is wrong. For you guys to be dating, you'd have to actually have been on a date. Is this even considered one?

From the moment you get back to your dorm, your roommate senses something wrong. “Spill.”

You wave them away, “Get back to bed.”

“I'm plenty rested thanks to not worrying about the stuff you made me do before I slept. What's up?”

You tell them about the interaction with Cole at the store. Again, you obviously don't tell them about Flynt. Their whole face lights up. “I  _ knew _ you had the hots for that Gallian kid!”

You blush furiously. “I do not! I just - I got invited to watch the Vivids practice. Am I reading too far into it?”

They press their lips together. “They do take their performances pretty seriously, especially lately with the whole ‘only doing it if they're paid’ thing,” they comment. “I dunno, maybe Cole does have a thing for you. Or…” they trail off.

“Or?” You ask, knitting your eyebrows together.”

“Or he's getting tired of everyone bringing someone and he's picked you because you talk to him.”

You shake your head. You've done that an awful lot today. “Cole isn't like that,” you tell yourself more than them.

“Oh, I know. I'm totally in the ‘he asked you out’ park,” your roommate grins. “Just throwing out alternatives so if it's not a date you can't blame me!”

You throw a pillow at them. “You're the worst.”

“You still live with me,” they sing-song back.

You open your closet and stare blankly. What do you wear to watch a band practise? You guess normal clothes, but then - oh, their style is so different to yours, what even  _ would _ be normal to them?

You settle for an oversized shirt, leggings and boots. You look for Cole's name on your Facebook list and message him,  _ Hey! Is it still cool if I hang around for band practice? _

You throw your phone on the bed and it pings almost instantly. You don't realise your face lighting up at the possibility of it being Cole but your roommate sure does. They hide their smirk as they ask, “You gonna get that?”

You try and play off an air of coolness, “Hmm, l guess.” You read,  _ Of course, if you want to! IWe'd love to have you there! _ The typo confuses you, and you show your roommate who grins at you. “What?” you ask with a nervous laugh.

“Do you not see what he's done? Look, he clearly put  _ I'd love to have you there _ but changed it to  _ We _ except he forgot to backspace all the way! Aw, see, it's mutual!”

Your face flushes brightly. “When you hold your phone to type a ‘w’ with your left hand, the right thumb ends up by the ‘i’, it's an easy mistake.”

“Or a psychological slip. C'mon, you've never typed out a long-ass reply to someone just to vent out your feelings and then deleted it but maybe sometimes accidentally sent it?” You shake your head, glaring at your roommate who scoffs at you. “You're weird.”

You're about to retort but your phone pings again.  _ Outside in the van if you still wanna join! Leaving in 5!  _ You scoop a few essentials into your bag and rush out with a, “Back whenever!”

You just about hear a, “You better not be, go out there and get some!” but the door slams shut before you can answer.

You climb into the truck and Cole greets you with a big, warm smile. “Hi! You look good.”

“Oh. Thanks,” you smile down at your outfit sheepishly, thankful you made the right choice. “So do you!” You notice he's put a little more effort into his outfit, though that's probably for the band’s sake more than anything. 

“Well, I try and make an effort when I know I'm seeing people I give a shit about,” he jokes and you laugh. Considering the last time you saw him was when you were both in pyjamas, this is a testament to your argument that Cole can't be actually into you. A part of your brain reminds the other part that  _ technically _ he didn’t know you were gonna be there. You quickly shush that part.

Cole vaguely introduces you to everyone before sitting at the speakers and playing with the dials. You make small talk with the band and some other people you recognise, but you find yourself happier sitting with Cole. “What are you doing here, then?” you ask.

“Just a little pre-rehearsal maintenance, making sure there's no static,” he presses his ear to it as he turns each dial around in different orders. “You spoken to anyone?”

You shrug, “Said hello to everyone here but that's about it. Is Jon around? I wanna thank him for letting me stay at his house while you guys do your thing,” you look around the room to find a lack of blue hair.

Cole rasps, waving his hand in the air. “Jon comes down the moment band practice starts and not before, unless his girlfriend -  _ are they _ boy- and girlfriend now?” Cole twists round to ask Barbara, who's sat on the couch behind him.

She shrugs, “I guess so.”

“Anyway, if she's visiting he’ll be here sooner. If not, then generally later,” Cole shrugs.

You sit back with Miles and Aaron on the couch while everyone sets up. Jon goes straight for his guitar, nodding in acknowledgement at you being there. You mouth a  _ thank you!  _ and point to where you're sat, hoping he'd get what you meant. He smiles brilliantly back at you in response.

Once Cole is done setting up - though not before Jon tells him of other things he can do while on his knees at Jon's feet, which is met by laughter from the pair of them and noises of disgust from everyone else - he heads over to the couch, telling you and Miles to move out the way.

The pair of you try and shuffle to each side and Cole just about sandwiches himself in with a big smile. “Holy shit, Cole, one of us is gonna have to sit on someone’s lap if we're all here!” you exclaim.

You're sure you hear him say  _ Well, if you insist  _ because you're sure he uses his Flynt voice to say it. You're not  _ imagining  _ Cole saying Flynt things now, are you?! Your train of thought is - thankfully - stopped dead in its tracks when Miles frees himself to stretch out on top of you, Cole  _ and _ Aaron. 

It's strange watching a band you admire rehearse. Hearing them fuck up their own lyrics, watching their pure excitement as they play along to and sing their favourite songs. Seeing them argue is probably the worst part.

Well, the second worst. Having your arm squished in between your body and Cole’s isn't exactly comfortable, and when you eventually try and reposition it you only end up being able to bend your arm at the elbow. Cole notices and laughs, “What's up, Reptar?”

“Shut up, I just didn't want it going numb,” you mumble, bending your head down low.

Cole coos softly before leaning across, causing Miles to slip down a little. Cole manages to scoop Miles up in one arm (who jokes, “Cole please, at least buy me dinner first!”) while freeing his other arm. He sits back again to let Miles reposition himself comfortably, draping his arm across the back of your seat and smiling across to you. 

Each band member occasionally lets Miles play in their place while they head off, and Cole explains to you that Miles is essentially the band’s understudy. You don't exactly point out the fact that even when Miles is filling in for Barbara and Aaron's gone to join her in the kitchen, you and Cole are still huddled next to each other. Neither does he.

Once practice is over, Jon tells you that you're welcome to stay for drinks. Cole declines, and you figure that he must be live tonight. You politely decline, partly from not knowing anyone well enough other than Cole, and partly because, well...You don't want to miss out on Flynt.

Cole says his goodbyes and you wave to everyone as he leads you out. When you get in the truck again he breaks the silence with, “So that's the Fading Vivids behind the scenes!”

“Lotta drama,” you point out and Cole laughs.

“We’re an indie band made of college students who go to art school. We  _ bleed _ pretentiousness, we  _ live  _ for drama!” he raises a fist in the air and you throw your head back in laughter. He lets out a soft “hoo” before glancing over to you. “Thank you for coming. It meant a lot.”

You blush, “Thank  _ you _ for inviting me!”

“Don't sweat it,” he smiles. “It was way more fun tonight!”

You scrunch your face up, “I really don't think I made much difference to the event.”

“You did!” Cole nods encouragingly, adding with a small smile, “to me.” The last bit was said so quietly you doubt you were meant to hear it.

Now you're thinking about what your roommate was saying. You're thinking about him wanting to spend time with you. You're thinking about how he spends his time. Part of you wants to convince Cole to come back to the common room with you - if he really feels like that, he'd want to, and you'd get to keep him all for yourself. 

That thought brings you back to the real reality of why you want him to stay with you for as long as possible tonight - you don't want to have to share him with an entire chat room. Of course, there you were sharing Flynt, the onscreen personality. Not everyone gets to see this Cole, the one singing songs under his breath and who moves the AC fan away from you the moment you start to shiver and who asks you to feed him the chips he keeps in his glove compartment and who points out dogs in cars. 

But Cole needs to go back to his. He needs to go and be Flynt to earn his money. You can't take that away from him. Still, the night is young… Oh, but he might want to take a nap before the stream… Alright, if he says no, at least you'll know why. “Hey, you wanna… Head into the common room for a while, I'll find us something to drink? The least I can do to thank you for taking me to see your rehearsal!”

He laughs, “You don't have to thank me, silly, I invited you! It's fine! Although I'm never one to turn down a drink.”

Your eyes light up. “So that's a yes?”

He smirks over to you. “Sure. I'd just be stuck in my dorm anyways.”

Your brow furrows. “Night off?” Some kind of emotion flickers over Cole's face quickly and you panic. “Y’know, nothing to catch up on, homework-wise?” You add hurriedly. 

He breathes a sigh of relief. “Nah, figured I could use a break. I was just gonna sit and watch anime alone, but I'm never one to turn down an offer like that!”

“It's just a drink in the common room,” you murmur, trying hard not to blush again. 

“It's human interaction, and since I just admitted that I would be watching anime alone and you don't suddenly look like you regret asking the otaku to hang out,” he giggles, and you laugh too.

“Well, you know you get those cheesy teen movies where the really awesome one takes the super nerdy one under their wing and teaches them how to be cool?” You smirk, fully cackling as Cole looks overdramatically offended.

He puts a hand on his chest defensively. “If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were comparing me to the ugly duckling that goes under the makeover!”

You frown in defense, “Hey, I never called you an ugly duckling! I would never!”

You see a small smile emerge on Cole's face and you swea- you  _ swear _ you hear the word, “Good.” whispered.

When you get back to the dorm block, you stop at a point where the paving crosses. “I keep my stuff hidden in my dorm. You mind waiting in the common room for me?”

“Oh no, I know this trick. You leave a poor young boy with all the optimism in the world waiting in an empty room waiting all night for the girl who - no, janitor, it's fine, she  _ promised  _ to come back - who is sat in her own dorm with one of many other people just  _ lining _ up to hang out with her -” Cole spins his theatrical tale while trying hard not to laugh, and even you break at that last part.

“Okay, firstly, I do  _ not _ have people ‘lining up’ after me, and secondly, once again, I would never do that!”

“I know, I'm sorry,” Cole pulls you in for a hug. He doesn't really smell of anything extraordinary - just clean. “I don't know if you can tell, but I like being dramatic.”

You let out an exaggerated gasp, putting your hand on your chest. “No! Really?!”

He grins with amusement as he nods. “I know! I'm good at hiding it, right?”

“That's acting for you,” you raise your hands in a finger gun gesture. He does the same back and you both laugh. “Seriously. I'm gonna go get us a bottle, and then I'll meet you.”

“Alright. I could head to mine and clean up a bit anyway,” he shrugs.

“Oh, I see what's going on here,” you smirk. “You guilt me into staying around by spinning a tale of abandonment only for you to do it to me!” You poke him in the chest and he giggles. 

“You got me!” he raises his hands. “Naw, honestly, I won't be long. In fact, I'll race you there!” He runs off with a cackle and you groan, walking over to yours just a bit quicker.

Your roommate asks you how the rehearsal went and you reply with a noncommittal noise. They scoff, “C’mon, there's gotta be more juice than that! What are you even looking for, anyway?”

“My drink,” you call from where your head’s buried deep in your closet. You emerge with it and nod, “See you later on.”

“Wait, where are you takin-” They gasp with  big grin on their face. “Are you taking that to drink with a certain  _ boy _ ?”

You turn bright red. “Shut up.”

“I want lots of details when you get back!” they call after you as you close the door behind you on your way out. You wander back to the common room and find Cole setting up a pool table. He looks up when he sees you and beams. 

“Oh,” he points out, “You just brought a mixer drink,” he points to the large bottle of soda tucked under your arm, “I thought you were getting something harder.”

You roll your eyes. “Good job there's vodka already mixed in here then, isn't it? You think the DA would let me keep straight up vodka bottles?”

“Guess not. Now c’mon, let's play!” he gestures to the pool table.

You set the bottle down when your phone buzzes. You see a text from your roommate that reads: “In case you get too drunk and forget I told you, keep me updated!” You sigh and shake your head, putting your phone next to your drink before rubbing the back of your neck. “I, uh… I've never played… Pool before…”

“Alright, then stand up here, I'll show you how to break!” You follow him to the end of the table and he gives you a cue, placing it in your hands and moving your fingers into position. You try not to let it get to you every time his fingers interlace with yours. You try not to get lost in his look of concentration.  _ You'll only embarrass yourself, damnit _ . He stands to press his body behind yours, his hands still guiding yours. 

His, “Alright,” is breathy in your ear, “Now just lean over a bit, bring this back,” he helps you to pull the smooth cue back through your hands, “and push it forward nice and hard towards that cue ball.” You do so, watching as the white ball’s collision causes the group of balls to spread out. A yellow one falls into the pocket and you squeal excitedly. Cole wraps his arm around you in a celebratory hug. You can't help but notice that now he smells of aftershave. “You're a natural!” he cheers. “Now you're aiming for the yellow ones. I'd say look for the best angle by getting down so you're eye level with the cue ball. Once a yellow one’s completely hidden by it, you're at the right place,” he smiles helpfully.

You blurt out with a smirk, “You just want me to bend over to check me out.” before freezing up.

Cole, thankfully, laughs, “Oh come on, I use the exact same tactic too so at least it should be reciprocated!”

You rasp, trying to keep your cool, “Pfft, what, you think I'd honestly spend my time staring at your butt?”

He shrugs, “I don't see why not,” as he stretches his shoulders back, stroking his palms across his ass cheeks and  _ damnit _ , you don’t mean to look, and you definitely don’t mean for him to notice but he does, adding with a devilish grin, “See?”

You wave him off, “Oh please, the eye is naturally drawn to other people gesturing at things, look,” you mirror him, hoping your sarcastic air is enough for him to not take you seriously, “see, now you’re looking there!”

He moves his hand up to his mouth and murmurs something that sounds like, “giving me an excuse.”

You ignore it - you’re just imagining him being Flynt again, that’s all, Cole wouldn’t say something like that to you - and carry on, “And now you’re looking here!” as you place your hands on the pool table. Cole laughs behind his fist as you continue, “And now you’re looking here!” as you wave them in the air to your side, “and now here!” you place them on his chest, once again freezing up once you realise.

He looks down at your hands, then back up a little to you. “You’re a smart one, I’ll give you that.”

“Oh, you’ll  _ give _ me that honorable title, will you?” you cross your arms across your chest.

“Yeah. Yeah, I think I will. You should feel special for that,” he smirks, stepping closer to you. You look up at him and swallow hard. You’re luring the [username] out of you except he's not Flynt right now. You really need to keep your cool, but you distract yourself.

Turning to the pool table, you take aim, firing a yellow ball into the corner only for it to ricochet back into the centre. You curse under your breath as Cole cocks his head at you. “Aw, better luck next time,” he coos sarcastically as he pots a red. “Or maybe the next.” Another red. “Or the next.”

“Alright, you can beat someone who's barely played, big whoop,” you roll your eyes as you take a swig of your drink. You realise why it's often called liquid confidence as you feel the need to get close to him again.

“Look who's getting defensive!” he taps your nose playfully and you frown at him. 

When he misses a shot you let out a single cackle that may have been a tad too loud. Cole chuckles under his breath, shaking his head at you as he leans back, propping his foot up against the wall his shoulders rest on and  _ damnit _ , this whole crush thing is suddenly becoming dangerously easier now there's alcohol in your system. 

The sober side of you tries to counter it by focusing yet again on the table. Every time you take aim, you bend over just a little bit longer than you need to. Well, if Cole can get you all flustered, surely you could at least try to do the same for him - though every time you look back at him, he's deliberately looking around the room. You're unsure whether he's doing that behind your back too or just because he's worried he'll get caught looking.

Your game continues and Cole ends up winning. He slowly walks over to you, sliding the cue back onto the table. He keeps his arm rested on the green felt - all it would take is for him to move around just a little and you'd be pinned against the table. “Better luck next time, huh?” He smirks.

You scoff, crossing your arms, “Sure, get all cocky over a victory against someone who's barely played!”

He shrugs. “Maybe I'm glad I got the upper hand for other reasons,” he bites at his lip.

Your eyes flicker across his face, trying to read his expression. His slightly cocked head, his eyes looking down at your lips, his tongue just darting out to lick at his own - before he finally lets out the biggest yawn you've ever seen. You giggle as his eyes widen in horror. “I am so sorry, I was not expecting to do that!”

Between laughs, you wave him off. “It’s fine, you’re fine. You can't help needing to yawn! Did you wanna go to bed now?” you ask, concerned.

Cole shakes his head. “Naw, I’m having fu-huh-” Another yawn, this time covered by his arm. “Ah, I’m having fun!”

“Yeah, but I won’t have much fun dragging your sleeping ass back to your dorm!” you counter.

He tuts with a sigh, “Again with the ass.” You scoff and he laughs. “Alright, I get it.”

You suddenly feel bad and try to backtrack. “No, wait, I didn’t mean - I’m having a ton of fun too,” you smile warmly at him and he beams back.

“I’ll keep it in mind that you enjoy losing,” he teases.

“Well, I wasn’t talking about  _ that _ bit,” you mumble, and he hugs you again.

“Aw, I’m sure. Text me if you ever want a rematch!” he calls before heading down the hallway that leads to his dorm.

You frown, picking up your phone. It’s left on the keypad with a number you didn’t type under a name you didn’t save - Cole Gallian. You also see the camera was recently used, giggling at the selfies Cole had secretly taken. You select the one with the funniest face and send it to Cole followed by  _ This is my contact photo for you btw. _

He replies soon after,  _ Haha, good. Wouldn’t have it any other way.  _ Followed by a picture of himself - or rather, a mass of pink curl with a pair of eyes and the rest of his face buried in a pillow - and  _ Home safe! _

_ To: Cole - Do you send selfies with every message? _

_ Fr: Cole - Hey now, I’m no Miles. That boy has his own reaction images. Memes included. _

_ To: Cole - I see why you two get on so well! Also back at my dorm. _

_ Fr: Cole - Don’t believe you. Need proof. _

“Hey,” you call to your roommate, who’s wearing headphones. They throw them off and sit up straight with a beam. You sit on the bed next to them and take a selfie.

“What was that for?” they ask, looking over your shoulder. “Aw, you’re sending it to  _ Cole _ !” They gasp in excitement. “Oh my god, you have Cole’s number! Did he ask you out? Was  _ that _ your first date? Did you guys kiss?!”

“Shut up,” you roll your eyes. “We played some pool and that was it.” 

They raise their eyebrows. “So there was absolutely nothing to report?” You shake your head. “Boo. I'm going to sleep then, but soon enough I'm gonna lock you both in a closet until you see sense.”

You contemplate throwing a pillow at them but you know they'd just hoard it for the night. You can't exactly settle down yourself. You wonder if Cole's actually getting an early sleep in, if he's unable to get settled. He hadn't replied to your last message. 

You open your browser in defeat. Maybe there's some fanfiction you can read yourself to sleep with, or something you can keep in the background on Netflix. It opens to the last page you were on - and right there in the directory the icon underneath Flynt’s name reads as Online Now!

Making sure your headphones are plugged in, you click on it and see he's already stripped down and is reading from some erotic novel while humping a pillow. You can't even find it in yourself to join in the chat, there's just something so mesmerising about hearing him talk complete filth while watching his hips flow up and down, his body almost wave-like.

_ You don’t realise you’ve drifted off to sleep until you visualise the common room again. He’s there again too, only this time he’s wearing nothing but a pair of tight black briefs. He’s walking towards you, resting a hand either side of you on the pool table, effectively pinning you against it. He stands close to you, keeping his face an inch away from yours with hungry eyes and parted lips that pucker eagerly towards you. You grab him by the hair and pull him down for a kiss. He reciprocates, pressing himself even closer. He slides his leg between yours as he grabs at your arms, suckling on your lower lip. He tugs at it between his teeth, that grin plastered on his face once he releases it. _

_ He dives back in for another, open kiss. Your moans entangle in each others’ mouths and you find yourself grinding against his leg. His kiss gets even rougher at that; he presses his lips harder against yours, his tongue finds yours instantly, he digs his fingers into your forearms before clambering at the back of your shirt to pull it off. You break away to let him literally throw your clothes off of you, leaving you in only your panties once you kick your pants away. _

_ He pushes you onto the table, wrapping his arms around your hips and grabbing your ass cheeks roughly. You rest your arms on his shoulders and he buries his face into your neck. Starting out with sweet kisses that make you melt against him, they soon turn to rough, bruising sucks. You moan out into the dark, otherwise empty room and he hums against your flesh. He pushes you further back by your knees so that you’re lying completely on your back on the table. _

_ He climbs on to join you, pushing your panties to one side and burying one finger into you. He watches you squirm on the green felt for a while before pulling back to straddle you, leaning down so his lips are level with your ear, rocking his hips down to meet yours. “I can't wait to claim you,” he purrs. “Finally make you mine. I want every part of you. I want to run my hands through that hair until it's unable to tame, so everyone will know what we've been up to. I want those big, innocent eyes watching me as those perfectly shaped lips strain around my cock. I want to make you moan just by touching your breasts in just the right way. I want to scratch and suck and bite until there's not an inch of you that's not mine.” _

You wake up with a startle, quickly rushing out of bed to change the panties you can feel soaking between your legs - but not before closing your laptop lid to be safe from your roommate potentially waking up and seeing that site on your screen. You'd get enough shit for being on it in the first place, let alone for watching someone essentially in the same building as you.

You go to your bathroom to splash your face with cold water and look at your reflection for a moment before realising you have to sit down. 

You sit on the toilet and contemplate what just happened. You just had a dream about your friend wanting to have sex with you. But were you dreaming about Cole? Those were the words Flynt had been reading aloud. Those were the actions Flynt had been doing. This shit is getting too confusing.

If you think enough about it - which as much as you try not to, you can't help but think about it constantly - you'd love to date Cole. You'd love to watch his favourite shows with him, to yell at the players through the screen showing whatever game is on. You'd love to get to cuddle him and call him cute names and have his band friends tease him about you. 

But at the same time, every time he does something even remotely Flynt-like, your mind just focuses on the one thought: the unrelenting want to rip his clothes off and have him take over your body entirely.

The questions you'll have to ask yourself now - after telling yourself you can't hide this forever - are how do you approach him about it, and more importantly  _ which impulse do you give into? _ Do you turn him into a one night stand, do you approach him as a potential friend with benefits, or do you risk taking the slow burn and date him, which would be a hell of a lot of fun, but how would he react? If you told him you knew about Flynt, would he get offended? Would  _ he _ jump  _ your _ bones? Would he feel weird dating you after knowing you'd watched him without him knowing he was performing for you?

You go back to your laptop and scroll through the chat room from tonight's show. The only big donation was the one telling Cole to strip down and hump his pillow while narrating erotica. The chat seemed to think he's not as into it this time, that maybe he's tiring himself out. With a sigh, you close the tab entirely, shut off your laptop and try to sleep.

Try being the operative word there.

Sunday doesn't bring you much in the way of activity, so you excuse yourself from doing anything in particular. You mostly stay in bed playing games and, once he's awake, occasionally talking to Cole. You text him saying how sorry you are that he didn't sleep until late but he replies,

_ Fr: Cole - Don't be, it wasn't because of you, promise. =) _

_ To: Cole - Are you sure? Only you seemed tired while we were there. _

_ Fr: Cole - I was, but I don't get to sleep very easily. That's all. _

_ To: Cole - Alright. Sorry for bugging you about it. _

_ Fr: Cole - Don't be! =D it's sweet that you care so much. I'm just a college kid, becoming nocturnal is what we do! _

_ To: Cole - Part of the pretentious art school band member lifestyle, right? _

_ Fr: Cole - Yeah! Now you're getting it!  _

You smile at your screen and are soon joined on your bed by your roommate. “Alright, I've waited long enough. Tell me all about this guy. All I know is that every time I've dragged you out to a Vivids gig you keep making googly eyes at him.”

You cringe. “God, no. Do I?! Is it that obvious?”

They shrug. “Not really. You're just super easy to panic,” they grin wickedly, earning a shove from you. “So what's you guys’ deal?”

You take a deep breath in, deliberating over what to say to make sure you don't reveal anything about Flynt. “We share a few classes. We talk on occasion. Those occasions have gotten a little more frequent lately.”

“Are they flirty?” They ask. You sit and ponder for a while. Now that you know Cole’s intimate side for a whole other reason, it's hard to tell what's his personality and what's directed at you.

You merely shrug, “Not sure.” You're not lying to them by saying that, at least.

They roll their eyes, groaning as they lay back on your bed. “Alright. I'm gonna meet this guy and I'll be your wingman, sound good?”

You shake your head vigorously. “No! Look,” you sigh in defeat, “I think it's best that I just treat him as a friend.”

They scoff, “What, and have him friend-zone you too?”

“I'd rather stay friends and get over him than take a risk and be that girl from class he rejected and still has to face every day,” you state matter-of-factly.

“You play it too safe, kid,” they shake their head. “Learn to take risks! You never know which ones will pay off.”

“You also never know which ones won't,” you point out. “I'd rather not chance those odds.”

“Well, from what I've seen and heard, he's just as into you. Which is why you need to make that first move!” they urge.

“Exactly, it's just stuff you've seen and heard from me. You're gonna be biased. I'd rather have him confirm or deny anything to me himself.”

You keep telling yourself that all day in some sort of mantra. Cole is your  _ friend _ . If what they’re telling you is true, let him approach you. Let him prove its certainty to you.

You're still drawn to his show tonight, though. You swear it's to wean you off your crush. Act as though Flynt is a separate person and let out your affections to him. Just for a couple of days until you can face Cole again.

You type  _ Hey, Flynt! Miss me yesterday?  _ He reads out your username excitedly. “Hey, you! I saw you still watching but I guess I missed your charm and wit.”  _ Flattery will get you nowhere fast, I'm broke as shit. _ “That's fine, as long as you enjoy the show!”  _ Always. ;) _

Cole is distracted by an alert appearing on the screen. “Holy shit, thank you so much for the donation!” Cole exclaims as his tip jar goes up by $200. “That brings our public total just enough to have fun with you guys tonight,” Cole takes off most of his clothes, leaving him in just his underwear.

You type out, with no intention of sending it,  _ How much does it cost to get those off too?  _ You curse internally as your muscle memory hits Enter instead of Backspace. You cringe as Cole reads it aloud with a laugh. “[username]! You need to watch your mouth there.”

You barely even notice yourself typing  _ You could watch it do whatever you wanted _ until it sent, and you stare at that sentence mortified. You just sent that line to Cole. Cole, your real life friend who if you said that to in any other context would probably have you on a restraining order for sexual harassment. Of course, he has no way of tracing it back to you, but that doesn't make it any less creepy on your part. Sure, you're technically sending it to Flynt, but part of you knows deep down that's how you want to talk to Cole too.

“I'm  _ definitely  _ gonna have fun with you around tonight, [username],” Cole grins as he runs his fingertips up and down his body. You shake your head. This is fine. This is not Cole talking to you. It's Flynt talking to [username].

You type out,  _ Well, don't I feel special. _ The donator types,  _ Hey now, of all the people to play favorites to, surely it should be the one that just paid you! _ Cole reads it and chuckles, “Well, if you’ve been here recently you’d know [username]  _ is _ one of my favourites now. Sorry to disappoint, but that’s how it’s gotta be,” he shrugs, adding a wink at the end.

You’re glad he can’t see you blushing furiously, and you keep looking over to make sure your roommate hasn’t woken up. Grabbing the nearest pillow and burying your face in it, you watch as Cole runs his hand up his neck, stretching it far out to accentuate his collarbone as his fingers trace just past it and slide down his torso.

He looks down to read more comments asking how others can be his favourite and he chuckles. “Aw, look at everyone getting jealous.” You notice that tips are going up too, as does he. He laughs louder, “Alright, seriously guys, you can’t buy my affection just yet. I’ll get through all of you eventually, but we set this up for you guys. I can’t help that [username] happens to be here too. At least you're talking tonight and not lurking like you did last time,” he raises his eyebrows to the camera. “I prefer that.”

You get a few comments directly at you, and suddenly you don’t want to be there. You don't want to be in a place where people call you selfish, attention-seeking, whore. You want to talk to Cole, sure, but not the others. You see Cole frown as he types something and suddenly certain commenters don’t say anything more. You don’t want to cause any drama so you hurriedly type out a,  _ Sorry, gotta bail. Bye! _ And shut the laptop lid.

Your eyes sting with tears as the words play back in your mind. Fuck, it’s so easy to just see Cole yourself. You could just ring him, you could even text him as [username] and reveal yourself. Flynt seemed to perk up once he knew [username] was there. If everything your roommate’s been alluding to is true, he’d be more than happy to know that it’s you behind the other screen. But what if he’s not? What if this has been crossing the line?

You barely sleep at all that night, and when you trudge into class the next morning, you notice Cole isn’t even there. You send him a quick text to ask if he’s alright, but all through class there’s no answer.

During your lunch period, you skip your meal completely and head over to your dorm to try and catch up on your sleep. You set an alarm for 90 minutes later, enough time to get you to your next class. You wake up 2 hours later, realise the time and groan into your pillow. Today just couldn’t get worse.

You do, however, see two texts from Cole:  _ Hey. Sorry, wasn’t feeling so good this morn. Wanna grab lunch?  _ and  _ Take that as a no on lunch. See you in class. _ And now you actually do feel worse. You wonder how long they must have kept him up last night.

You send back,  _ I am so sorry, there must be something going around campus cause I felt terrible all through the first lecture. I came back to sleep through lunch and now I’ve just woken up. Buy you dinner and make up for it? _

Cole replies with,  _ I’ll be the one with the rose ;) _ and you laugh. 

_To: Cole -_ _You’ll be the one waiting for a long time then since you’d need to drive me there in the first place!_

_ Fr: Cole - You right, you right. I’m gonna hit the library (inb4 ‘what did it ever do to you?’) and I’ll swing by after. Don’t fall asleep now! Feels weird to be the one saying that and not hearing it lol. _

_ To: Cole - I apologised! Let me know when you're ready to meet up. _

You get showered, making a real effort to make yourself look, smell and feel good. After the morning you’ve had, you need to really go all out to feel good enough to even leave the building. Your roommate notices on their return from class and smirks, “Ooh, I was wondering why you skipped class, now it’s obvious.” You look at them quizzically and they roll their eyes. “You wanted a little extra time to prepare for a big date,” they draw out the last word in a singsong voice and you make a throaty sound of discontent.

“I just didn’t get much sleep last night, so I thought I’d try and, y’know. Maybe if I look better on the outside, I’ll feel better on the inside!” you shrug.

“You keep telling yourself that, kid,” your roommate pats you on the head.

You take a deep breath in. “Hey, uh...Does a date have to be, like...Announced, or..?” you ask tentatively.

Your roommate, in complete contrast, squeals with delight, raising their fists high above their head, running around your dorm and punching the air before returning to cheer, “I knew something went down! What was it, huh? What weren't you telling me?”

You shrug. “Nothing actually happened, but, well...I think we almost kissed last night.”

They groan, “Almost? Why didn't you grab that cotton candy hair and go to town on him?!”

“And you wonder why I didn't want to tell you,” you deadpan. “I just...I don't know if  _ he's  _ going to treat it as a date.”

“Do you want to?” they ask seriously.

You want to say yes. You'd love nothing more than for that to be the reality of what's happening tonight. But you've doomed yourself. Cole has to stay your friend. “I want to not embarrass myself completely by taking anything the wrong way. It's less embarrassing to admit you didn't realise it's a date than to admit you thought it  _ was _ .”

They sigh, “I hate when you’re in the right.” 

Your eyes light up as you think of something. Your heart immediately sinks, but you have to shake that off. “Wait, I can make sure he doesn't get ready for a date of any kind!” Your roommate cocks their head in confusion and you continue, “Okay so he's going to the library straight after class, right? So all I gotta do is meet him there so he doesn't have time to make enough effort to consider it a date! I gotta be quick though,” you mutter, thinking back to last night.

“Wait, why do you  _ have _ to -” They gasp. “Holy shit, he did something last night, didn't he?! That already was your first date!”

You blush brightly. “It was one game of pool! Hardly a lengthy first date.”

“It's not how long you spent together but the quality of the time you did. So c'mon, what happened?”

You shrug, “When I left him to come up and get my drink he just smelled clean, but after that he smelled of aftershave.”

They squeal, “He put on aftershave, he put on the moves and you  _ still _ don't call it a date?!”

You narrow your eyes. “I told you. I would rather assume it wasn't than it was. I better go,” you gather your things and head out. “See you tonight.”

It's hard to miss the group of brightly coloured heads huddled over a set of desks. They seem deeply involved in whatever they're up to, so you try and back away. Miles notices you first, nudging Cole a little too hard in the side, causing him to fly into one of the Joshes. Barb-  _ Neo _ looks over to you and smiles brightly, waving you over to join everyone. At first you shake your head in a decline, but they seem insistent, with more of them joining in with Neo.

You end up sat between the other Josh and someone else from class, Kyle. Cole smiles warmly to you and you offer a small wave back. You stifle a laugh when you see what's on the table. “I was expecting to crash a study session, what's this?” 

“It's called Werewolves of Millers Hollow,” Kyle explains. “We’re all villagers with different roles based on what card we're given. A determined amount of people will have red cards, they're werewolves. Each night they'll kill another villager. We all have to guess who the wolf or wolves are.”

“Right,” Cole interjects hurriedly, “But everyone's roles can affect that. There's the fortune teller, who can guess one person each night as being a wolf. There's the hunter, who has one silver arrow and if killed can take another person down of their choice. The little girl can open their eyes when the wolves are awake but they risk getting caught and chosen next. The witch has two potions, one of ultimate healing and one of ultimate death, both of which they can only use once.”

“Cupid changes everything though,” Jon goes on to explain. “See, on the first night, Cupid chooses two people to bind as Lovers. They have specific responsibilities as Lovers.”

“Yeah, like if one is a werewolf they have to protect their lover,” Cole interrupts again fervently, causing Miles and someone you vaguely know as Blaine to whisper to each other and giggle. You try to ignore it. “If one is a witch and their lover is killed they have to use their healing potion or they die from grief. Basically everyone whose lover dies also dies from grief,” he shrugs.

“There's also a thief and a captain but we don't play every card,” Kyle waves off. “You want in?”

Playing a game with his friends. Becoming one of them. Cementing yourself in Cole's  _ friend  _ group. Seems like the perfect plan. Thankfully, you're just a villager, so you have no other responsibility. 

Until when you all wake up, Miles narrates with his trademark wide grin that Blaine is nowhere to be found in his room...And when he gets to talking about you, he basically squeals, “And - oh? There's two lumps in this bed? Oh,  _ there _ you are, Blaine, you lovesick little scamp!” You look at Blaine in shock and he shrugs, while everyone else exchanges glances with Cole, who shakes them all off.  _ Why would they be looking at Cole? Has he spoken about you before? How much do they know? Don't be so self-obsessed, for all you know they could be referring to Blaine. _

You learn the game quite quickly, and you couldn't ask for a better narrator in Miles. The game boils down to three of you. You, Blaine and Cole. You recap the game with an, “Okay, so we know of two things for sure. One of us here killed one of the other ones. Another one healed that person, so nobody died that night. Since it’s the lovers’ responsibility to keep the other alive, that would mean neither me nor Blaine would kill each other…” You turn slowly to Cole, who raises his hands.

“How do I know that one of you didn't try and kill me while the other one healed?”

“Because the lovers thing makes way more sense,  _ killer _ !” Blaine hisses, remembering the many warnings he's gotten through the game for being too loud. He looks to you. “Cole?”

You have no choice. You can't go against your lover’s decision because that would mean accusing him. You nod, and Miles smirks. “So, upon defeat, we have two people left. Wanna show your cards?”

You flip your villager card round, punching the desk when you see Blaine hold a red werewolf card. “Dude, what the -  _ how come you were this whole time _ ?”

Blaine giggles, “I did my job and protected you! And you did the same for me, lowly villager. Thank you for being such a good lover,” he purrs, and you try and laugh it off.

You stammer, “Wha- No you didn't, you  _ killed me _ !”

“No, that was the other wolf’s choice,” Blaine glares towards Flanagan, who raises his hands up in defence.

“Look, I was just testing the waters to see if you'd do anything to stop me, that's what you're meant to do!” he points out.

“But I just thought we'd take it in turns to choose a victim, I didn't think you were that power hungry you'd eliminate me by  _ killing off my lover _ -”

“Well, that's as good a time as any to get outta here,” you joke, “thank you guys so much for letting me stay and play along! Though I wanna narrate next time,” you point at Miles, and he points right back.

“You got it!”

Cole looks up at you, “You going to get dinner now?” You shrug and your stomach growls loudly. You hold it tightly in an attempt to mute it, blushing brightly. “I'll take that as a yes. Talk later,” Cole looks around the group and pats the table as he gets up to join you. 

It's only then that you fully see and appreciate his outfit - and also  _ don't  _ appreciate it.  _ Stupid Cole and his stupid band shirt and his stupid army jacket that's too big and his stupid skinny jeans and his stupid military boots and his stupid painted nai _ \- “You painted your nails?” you ask him as you both leave the library. 

“Huh? Oh yeah!” He holds them up to show them off, “Yeah, Neo was bored waiting when it was just me and her at the table so she did them for me.”

“It's a good look on you,” you smile. It's hard to make something sound as deliberately platonic as you can but somehow you're still trying.

“Speaking of looking good,” he croons, leaning down to you and you scoff. He straightens up again, looking offended. “What?”

You shake your head. “Nothing.”

“Do you not believe me?” Cole asks, an air of sadness in his expression as well as his voice.

“It's not that,” you shake your head. 

“You just don't want  _ me _ saying it.” Cole’s face stiffens and you immediately feel bad.

You hug his arm with a, “No, it's not that either. I just…” You shrug. “I dunno. I know I look decent, I'm the one that got myself dressed,” Cole snuffles with laughter  _ and damn that's cute _ , “but I just can't...I feel weird when other people acknowledge it. Like, I'm looking good for me. I know that. Other people's validation just seems...Weird to me, I don't know. I'm sorry,” you sigh, but Cole grins.

“Don't be! I think it's awesome that you do you so well. That's how I feel when someone looks down on me and the group. We feel like we look good, so why should other opinions matter?” he asks as he unlocks the van.

“Right,” you agree as you get into the passenger seat, “but I still haven't reached the stage where I can accept how others see me. I don't - I don't  _ like  _ it. Feeling judged for what I wear.”

“Clothes are an artistic expression. Sometimes fashion sense has more of a personal theme than an obvious one. That's understandable,” Cole smiles over to you as he starts the engine.

“Huh. I never thought of that,” you frown. 

“Back when I started hanging out with everyone, I was jealous of how easily they could express themselves. Then Neo told me that every outfit is an original art piece. Utilise it.” He glances over to you. “I appreciate your art.”

You can't help but beam. “I appreciate yours too.”

“Alright, so where are we going?” he asks and you shrug.

“I dunno, you're driving!”

Cole laughs, “But you invited me out!”

“Because I felt bad for ditching you at lunch!” You frown. “Where would you have taken me?”

Cole scrunches his face up in thought before making a soft  _ ah _ sound, indicating to get onto the highway.

You get to a themed diner, all pastel colours and girls in poodle skirts and bar stools that look like motorcycles and guys with hair that doubles their height. “This place is cute,” you smile as you look around the mirror-tiled walls at all the decorations that adorn them.

Cole shrugs, “I've been coming here a while now. Freshman year I was the best darn dishwasher this place ever saw.” 

You both sit at a booth and you tentatively ask, “W-what do you do now then?”

He shrugs, “Mostly I get paid for performances.” He looks up sharply at you. “Uh, as in Vivids stuff. We get paid for parties, promotional events. We're actually hoping to get some endorsements soon, we've had interest.”

You sound an  _ ooh _ of interest. “That's great! That'll be so good for the band!”

“Well, it's only small brands for now but it's something,” he nods.

You giggle, “You could put your animation classes to good use, make an anime style music video and have Crunchyroll sponsor you.”

His whole face lights up with excitement. “That. Is.  _ Incredible _ . Holy shit, that'd be awesome!” he beams. “What if we had Fading Vivids: the Anime…” he trails off, looking up into nothing and resting his chin on his fist.

“You guys certainly all have the hair for it,” you smirk and Cole laughs.

“We do! Oh man, now it  _ has  _ to happen!” He's distracted by a waiter who hands out the menus. The waiter lingers a little longer with yours, his bright service-smile turning somewhat different.

“Can I get you anything just yet?” he asks, still looking at you.

You look down at the back of the menu while Cole ponders aloud, “Y’know, I love the milkshakes here, but I couldn't have a whole one and  _ then _ eat, I'd be too full,” he clicks his tongue and taps his chin.

You offer, “We could always order one and share it between us.”

Cole grins crookedly to the waiter. “Yeah. We'll have one to share,  _ please _ .” You swear he's using his Flynt voice, but why would he need to? Now you know you're hearing things. There's no way he'd do that here around his old colleagues. He leans on the table, resting his head on his fist. “You feeling better now?”

You narrow your eyes at him, “Huh?”

Cole mirrors you, “This morning? You said you weren't feeling good, that's why you skipped lunch?”

You kick yourself for already forgetting your own story. “Oh! Yeah, thanks. That nap really helped me.”

“See? Now you can't scold me for day sleeping!” Cole smirks in victory.

You scoff, “This one time, because I wasn't feeling good. It shouldn't be something that happens regularly!” You shake your head at him. “Especially not in class!”

“At least I show up,” he fires back, resting his arms fully on the table and leaning closer to you.

“Not all the time, you don't,” you, too, lean in, and Cole beams wickedly.

“You got me there.” As though he was on cue to ruin any potential ‘moment’ from happening, the waiter reappears with the one milkshake. You're a little grateful, too, as his presence reminds you that this is where you're cementing your status in Cole's life as his  _ friend _ . It's very difficult when the one thing between you both now is a milkshake with two straws.

The waiter looks right at you, that same intrigued look still plastered on his face. “So, are you ready to order yet?”

“Oh!” You exclaim. “Oh, uh, we haven't - we've not even looked at -”

“Too busy talking, we forgot to even look at what's available!” Cole explains with an almost forced grin at the server. “Do you mind coming back to us?”

The waiter's face drops as he walks away again. You and Cole look at each other and burst into giggles. “I can't believe we forgot to order!” You shake your head. 

“I can. Time flies when you're with good company,” Cole smiles warmly at you and you take a sip of milkshake, hoping to anything out there that it cools your cheeks down from blushing.

You try and focus on the menu, but Cole's entire aesthetic is so outlandish in contrast to the rest of the diner it distracts you. You point it out to him and he laughs, “Yeah, I get a lot of looks while I'm here.”

“Then it's like you said in the car, they're admiring your art!” You smile encouragingly, but Cole scoffs. 

“Not really admiring,” he turns his nose up and you shrug.

“No, it's like putting Salvador Dali’s work in a Van Gogh exhibit,” you try and explain. “You wouldn't expect to see it there, but that doesn't make it any less beautiful.”

You notice Cole's cheeks tinge slightly. He hides it with an overconfident smirk, “Thanks for thinking I'm beautiful.” You freeze up and stammer, trying to think of a way to back pedal without seeming like an asshole. Cole laughs before looking back at the menu. 

You both choose your meals and get to talking about classes, past career goals (your favourite of his is when he wanted to be “someone who goes on TV game shows a lot”) and what you want to do in the future.

You shiver. “I think that's my biggest fear,” you admit. “I don't know what I want to - well, I know what I  _ want _ to do, I want to keep creating and I wanna do something that matters, but…” You shrug. “I don't know if I can do them both.”

“Art is a funny thing,” Cole starts. “You think that only you get it, because you created it with your own intentions. But then someone else sees it another way. You may think that means you've not succeeded, but that piece would have touched that person in another way. You ever feel like that?”

You nod. “Yeah. My professor always says, “I can see how this piece shows” something, but I didn't mean for it to and just,” you shrug, “sometimes I feel like I don't understand how to make specific art.”

Cole nods, “Personally, I think people who can make art that's open to interpretation are the best artists of all.” He flashes a big warm smile at you as your face fills with red. “There's nonspecific art,” he continues, gesturing to one side of the table, “and there's relatable art,” he gestures to the other. “Nonspecific is nice to look at but that's all. Relatable is where you see one specific theme that stands out. You've managed to hit the sweet spot right here,” he gestures to the centre. “Your art relates to so many people in so many different ways. I've seen people  _ argue _ over what your message was - if your artwork inspires a debate, then it's making people think laterally. It's making people feel. Wouldn't you say that's making a difference?”

“I guess,” you mumble, poking the whipped cream of your milkshake with your straw. “But I can't guarantee my work will be noticed.”

“So make them notice. I know you can,” Cole reaches out to take your hand, rubbing his thumb across the back of it. You freeze, taking a deep breath in. You're about to venture into dangerous territory here. Then again, he is just trying to support you and what kind of friend would you be to turn him away at this point?

“I'd hug you at this point, but there's a table in our way,” you point out with a giggle, trying to defuse any tension.

Cole laughs, “Yeah, that's why I took your hand, silly!”  _ Okay, so it's just a replacement hug. It doesn't mean anything more than an ordinary hug would. Good. _ “Though if you wanted, I  _ guess _ I could move round…” He rolls his eyes, shaking his head in the way you've learned he does when he's being dramatic as he shuffles out of his side of the booth and into yours. “C’mere,” he beckons you closer and wraps his arms around your shoulders. You snake your arms just around his waist and hold him tightly, trying to convey your thanks through the hug. He seems to be relatively colder than you.

You hear a throat being cleared and the waiter reappears with a plate in each hand. You spring away from Cole instantly, sitting upright and taking your meal with a bright smile. Cole takes his too, still sitting next to you. You both eat in relative silence until you ask Cole how his meal is.

He makes an ‘mmf’ sound, indicating his mouth is full, gesturing his hand around as he tries to chew faster. After a big swallow, he offers, “Here, try!” as he cuts up a bit, stabs it onto his fork and holds it up to you. 

You hesitate - this seems dangerously out of the friend territory, but if you reject it completely then that could only lead to a more awkward encounter. You take the food, humming with approval as you chew. Cole smiles happily, and when your mouth isn't totally full, you ask, “What's got you grinning like that?”

He shrugs, “I'm glad you like the food here. I was worried when you weren't around for lunch, I was gonna try and get a sandwich over to you but I don't know which dorm you live in and Miles said you probably didn't want to be disturbed anyway and then it turned out you were sleeping  _ anyway _ so…” he continues to ramble on for a while before catching himself mid-sentence. You swear he turns red when he does. 

“Yeah, I am really sorry about that,” you mumble, and he rasps, waving you off.

“We never agreed on it in the first place, and we're out here now, aren't we?” he asks, twisting his body and folding his leg to face you. 

“I guess,” you reply with a small smile. Your attention is brought back to his nails; you take his hand to admire the sparkle in them you've just noticed and you twitch with surprise, “Man, your hands are cold! How did I not notice that before?” -  _ Because you were too busy freaking out about him holding your hand _ , you remind yourself. 

Cole shrugs, “My hands are always like this. Yours are  _ super  _ warm, though,” he takes each of yours in his before pressing them flat against each other. “Look how small they are, too!” he coos.

“Only compared to your hands because you're so tall!” You defend.

“You got a point,” Cole nods before interlacing his fingers in yours and locking down. “Better?”

You swallow hard. You're in too deep now,you have to play along. You bend your fingers down too. “Now it is. We're the same!”

“You prefer it when we're even, then?” Cole asks with amusement and you nod. He bends down so that his face is level with yours, asking softly, “Is this better?”

You could probably count his eyelashes at this distance. Orbs of melted chocolate look at you with hopeful curiosity. At this point, it's undeniable. He wants this. You want this.

You also want Flynt, though.

Thankfully your knight in cock-blocking armor shows up again. You let go of Cole's hands to ask the waiter for the check and fumble around in your purse. Cole takes out a few bills and throws them on the table too.

In the car on the way back there's a weird atmosphere. Although, you presume, that's just normal man-we-almost-kissed tension. Cole finds a playlist on his phone and puts it on shuffle, though he notices you trying to look at the tracklist and hands his phone to you with a grin. “Here, pick a song.”

You scroll through - most of it is indie-alternative rock bands with the occasional classic rock hit. You accidentally press the ‘back’ button and you're about to ask which playlists he'd chosen when you see one marked “Guilty Pleasures”. You say the name aloud and Cole cringes. “Ooh, what sort of music does everyone's favourite punk technician consider a guilty pleas- Oh, these aren't so bad!” you frown with disappointment. 

While you look through the list of 90s and early 00s throwbacks with the occasional pop song thrown in the mix, Cole’s cheeks match his hair. “They are for me!”

You gasp loudly as you get to a group of songs by a band you didn't realise anyone else your age really cared about. “You love McFly too?!” You hold back a giggle as you ask, “Please don't tell me the reason you joined the Vivids is to find a girl with Five Colours in Her Hair.”

“No!” Cole exclaims, sticking out his lower lip slightly. “But seeing as you know that song…”

You tap it with a grin and soon the truck fills with music. You both sing along to the song loudly, dancing around in your seats as much as your seat belts will let you. Cole laughs when you start singing the guitar solo with a, “Dun-da-dun da-da-da-dun-da-dun,” and even follows up by joining in as the bass before the pair of you belt out the last chorus. 

Throughout the entire song, every doubt you've had about dating Cole flies out the window. You both clearly like each other. There's nothing stopping you from actually being with him.

It all comes crashing back to you when you reach the dorm hall. He's going to go his way to his dorm to film as Flynt. You're going to go your way to your dorm to watch him. He's going to have no idea that you’re doing that. He's going to find out and he's going to be weirded out by you and never talk to you ever again. That's why you can't date him.

Though he doesn't leave straight away. He gestures for you to go your way and walks alongside you when you do. You try and keep to yourself, holding onto your bag strap with both hands and looking straight ahead.

Cole still walks with you in silence until you reach your door. You notice a slight air of sadness around Cole and you feel bad for ultimately shutting him off. You wish you could stop watching his shows, but you know that now you can't. Your nights would be restless knowing he could be right there on your screen. 

You stop just outside your door and reach out to touch his arm. “Thank you for joining me this evening. I had a lot of fun.”

“Me too!” Cole brightens up. “And thanks for humouring my friends earlier, too.”

You wave him off, “That was fun! I loved it!” As you're talking about it, you're suddenly reminded again of something. “You were the witch there.”

“Yeah,” Cole smiles crookedly, “and Blaine and Flanagan were wolves and Kyle was the fortune teller and Jon was Cupid. I was there, too!”

“Shut up,” you bat him away. “I was going somewhere with it,” you add with a giggle before making yourself a lot more serious. “So you saved either me or Blaine.”

Cole's face tints, “Well, you were having so much fun, I didn't want to have it cut short if I could help it.” He hurriedly adds, “I'm glad you liked where we went, too.”

“Yeah, but what was with that waiter?!” You ask, cocking your head.

Cole chuckles, “Oh, come on.” When you give him a confused look, he continues, “Well, uh...He seemed to want something more than a tip out of you. But you seemed to shoot him down pretty quick.”

“I had no idea, honestly,” you pull a face at Cole. Seeing how soft and warm his happy face is makes you accidentally blurt out, “I wasn't really paying much attention to him.”

Cole's trademark grin spreads from ear to ear. “Good to know I make such good company.”

“You seem like a different person lately,” you note with a soft smile.  _ You seem more like Flynt. Which moves us into dangerous waters. _

Cole laughs again, “You say that like it's a bad thing!” before shrugging, “Well, I have been hanging out with you a lot more. Maybe you're a bad influence on me,” he smirks as he bends lower to your level, holding onto your doorframe for balance.

You're met again with long lashes and dark, rich eyes. “I am not a bad influence!” You exclaim in defence.

“I beg to differ.” Uh-oh. Cole's tone is practically purring. It's intoxicating. It's Flynt all over. “You have been leading me into temptation for quite some time now.” He holds your chin between his finger and thumb, though you do the work for him by leaning up. 

You shouldn't. You really shouldn't. You should tell him goodbye and go through the door. You shouldn't stand up on your tiptoes. You shouldn't let your eyes flutter closed as your lips meet for the first time. And yet here you are, pulling him down by his jacket to keep kissing him. He giggles against your lips, holding your arms to keep the kiss soft and gentle.

When you break apart, Cole chuckles, “Someone was eager.”

“Someone had a convincing case,” you smirk, riding the adrenaline high still. 

Cole hums in discontent. “I really don't want to say goodbye now.”

You frown with exaggeration, “Oh, you don't want to kiss me again goodnight? I see how it is!”

Cole smiles, “You know that's not true. But you can also make a compelling case. So...Goodnight?”

You pull him down by his shirt to kiss him again. You cup his face with your hand, stroking his cheek with your thumb when you pull away again. “Goodnight, Cole.” As he starts to walk away, you bang your fist on your door. As Cole's head snaps round, an “ow!” comes from the other side of the door. “Nosy roommate,” you explain and he laughs, holding his hand up in a goodbye wave. 

When he's out of view, you suddenly remember something you forgot to tell him. You quickly text him,  _ Let me know when you're home safe! _

The longer you spend out here, the more you seem to sober up. You just kissed Cole. You went out there with every intention of staying friends with him, and you kissed him. Twice. But he seemed to be very much in Flynt mode, so were you even kissing Cole? Yes, they're the same person but they're not  _ the same _ . Trying to stop yourself from falling for Cole has been difficult enough, and now he's outright channeling Flynt in front of you?

You finally unlock your door to see your roommate glaring at you while nursing their head. You shrug at them, “You shouldn't have been leaning against the door!”

They grin, “But from what I can gather, it was worth it.” As your face glows red, they carry on, “Talking about kissing, pausing for a long time…Leading Cole into temptation, you seductive minx, you!”

You groan all the way until you get to your bed, which you throw yourself on and bury your head in your pillow. You know your roommate is going to want to hear everything. But you don't want to talk about everything. You want to talk about absolutely anything  _ other _ than everything.

Thankfully, they seem to cotton on and change the subject, “Oh, uh, one of your other Vivid boys came here. Kyle? Said you weren't in class and he wanted you to have a copy of his notes. Also mentioned something about forgetting to give it to you earlier?”

“Yeah, when I went to the library they were all there playing some card game,” you explain, trying to distance yourself as much as you could from the events that transpired.

You've been absolutely neglecting your phone this whole time, and when you go to send Kyle a quick thank you message, you see several messages from Cole. Each message is followed by a picture of him:

_ Just at my door no- wait, what was that sound? _ \- a picture of him looking to the side with a drawn-on question mark next to his head. 

_ What, that's a - oh god, what's a bear doing outside my dorm?!  _ \- a picture of him looking scared with a drawing of a bear creeping up behind him.

_ No, Mr Bear, please, I promised that I would get home safe - noooooo!  _ \- a picture of him with the bear drawn holding onto him.

_ This is the bear talking. Cole didn't make it back safe. You should definitely send pizza or something to his dorm immediately unless you wanna end up the same way.  _ \- a picture of Cole laying on the ground in front of his door with an X drawn over each eye and the bear drawn standing over him.

Laughing as you look through them, you type back,  _ If Cole is allowed to feel the sweet embrace of death, I want in on that action too. No pizza for you, bear! _

The typing animation begins almost immediately after,  _ You're no fun sometimes. _

_ Says the bear who killed a boy for no reason! _ You smile at your screen as you play along.

_ Do you want to know a secret?  _ flashes up on your screen. 

_ Is it about Cole's gross third nipple? Heard all about it _ , you giggle as you hit send.

You can almost hear Cole saying his reply in his offended tone,  _ Cole has two very normal nipples, thank you very much! You ruined the big surprise now =( _

You know full well that you're digging yourself further down a deep dark hole but at this point you're too wrapped up with emotions to think rationally.  _ Aw, I'm sorry. What's this big plot twist? _

_ The twist is…  _ Cole sends, waiting a moment before sending one more picture of himself inside his room, with drawn-on bear ears.  _ I was the bear this whole time! _

_ Gasp! Wow, Cole, I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust you again, _ you tease, realising then that it's time to put the phone down for a while.

Your roommate is still grinning at you expectantly, and with a resignated sigh you tell them every detail of the date. You tell them of the change in personality, but you leave out the fact that you know that's his ‘Flynt’ side.

“He always struck me as the ‘awkward around girls’ type. Maybe now he knows you like him too, he's more confident,” they shrug.

You roll onto your back. “Maybe.”

You stay in that position for most of the night. At one point, you get a message from Blaine:  _ What's up, lover? ;) _

Laughing, you reply,  _ Oh no. You left me out to die, you don't get to call me that! _

Blaine’s answer is hesitated,  _ No I didn't! At that point I knew you were either the witch, the fortune teller or a villager. Kyle had been constantly talking people out of being killed, so I knew who he was. I figured if I let Flanagan kill you, either I'd die too or we'd know Cole was the witch. Sure enough, Cole healed you. _

You narrow your eyes at the screen.  _ But then you'd have killed Cole next if it was your turn to choose! _

_ Yeah, but killing Kyle off is so much fun. Wasn't expecting Cole to kill Flanagan though. He probably knew I wouldn't have tried to kill you. Smart cookie you got there.  _ You study Blaine’s message for a while. Does Cole talk about you like you're already his? Has he been telling his friends that everything's been a date?! Blaine sends another message:  _ I should point out for Cole's dignity’s sake that he's never explicitly said anything about you two being a thing. That's just wishful thinking on our part that you'll hang around with us more as well as Cole. _

You soften up with relief,  _ Oh! I'd love to hang out with you guys more, if everyone's okay with that! _

Blaine sends you a screenshot of a group chat with all the Vivids where Miles has proposed the idea of inviting you to the next game night and everyone else has agreed with enthusiasm.

Though you are unsure of what this means. You wanted to get in with his friends so that you could remain the same level with Cole. You doubt his friends have passionately kissed him twice in the space of five minutes. Certainly not while sober, at least.

As it hits 10pm, your roommate leaves for a late night “study session” with someone a few dorms away from you. After giving them The Talk, and having them throw a pillow in your face, you're left in the room on your own.

Well, not completely.

Your laptop calls to you like a mythical siren. You know that you shouldn't, especially not now. You're starting something with Cole now, you can't afford to mess it up by constantly comparing him to Flynt.

...One more. One more show. And then no more Flynt, only Cole. You'll have to come up with some kind of excuse as to why you can't return to Flynt’s shows. You're sure chat will love it, but you can also tell how much Cole enjoys talking to [username], you don't want to just outright abandon that. 

Sure enough, he's online. Sure enough, he's already half-naked. You type  _ Starting without me, huh? I'm a little offended.  _ He chirps out your username with a, “Hey, you! Well, it's not my fault you got here a little late. But the night is young and so are we, right?”  _ Wrong. I'm nowhere near your age. I'm actually catfishing you.  _ “Well, not really, ‘cause I don't know you!”  _ I never said I was good at it.  _ Cole laughs, “Oh, [username], I'm glad you're here.”

Of course, other chatters still aren't, but they aren't fazing you. After all, this is your last time here. 

The show continues; Cole reads a few excerpts from that same novel he read from the other night, he gives out a few personalised messages, he takes some more clothes off. You can't resist typing,  _ Man, I hate being broke.  _ He reads it aloud and laughs, “Wow, someone's eager.”

Now. If you'd have remembered that Cole had said something similar to that earlier, you would have remembered enough that typing  _ You have a convincing case _ would also sound too similar and he'd catch on. You don't, however, and you send it anyway. Several expressions flash over Cole's face before it melts back into his Flynt smirk.

He continues for another half hour or so before stretching out. “Alright, everyone. Flynt’s getting sleepy, so I'm sure you're all tired too. Goodnight, everyone!” You curse internally, realising you never got to make up an excuse for leaving the streams. You stare at the black screen for a while, trying to figure out a way to leave without upsetting him.

You tuck your laptop away, flip your phone around so the screen is face down and then away from it. Almost immediately, it buzzes. You assume it's just an app advertising something and brush it off, but moments later it buzzes again. You take a quick peek and see two messages from Cole:  _ Come over _ and  _ Now, please.  _

You text back, worried:  _ Is everything okay? _ Cole's never texted you this late. 

His reply is immediate:  _ Please just come to my dorm. _

Fumbling around your bed, you cover your tank-top-and-shorts pyjama set with an oversized sweater to keep you warm. You grab your phone and your key and sneak out as quietly as you can. Using your phone screen as a flashlight, you eventually find Cole's dorm.

As you gently knock on the door, it swings open beneath your knuckle. In his room, Cole is pacing, still in those tight black briefs. You immediately make a squeak of apology - it just feels weird seeing it in person - and duck back behind the doorway, but Cole calls out, “I know you've seen this before, [username].”

_ Fuck. Fuck fuck fucking fuck.  _ You weigh out your options. You could either run now, and seal the definite end of your friendship with Cole, or you could face this like an adult and go in there and talk to him.  _ Growing up sure fucking sucks. _

You slowly enter his room, closing the door behind you, dropping your key and phone on a nearby dresser and hanging your head in shame. You start with, “Listen, Co-” but he cuts you off by pinning you to the door and kissing you hard. You're literally taken aback as you press your hands on the surface behind you in shock, making sure you land on it properly. You manage to press your hand on his chest to get him to break away. “What are you -?”

“Listen. I'll explain. Just, please. I have to have you now.”

“Even though you  _ know _ ?” you ask incredulously. 

He nods in desperation. “You're all I want anyway. Why pass up making that reality?”

At those words, you let all inhibitions go. You pull him down to you by the hair and kiss him passionately. He reciprocates with just as much fervor, running his fingers through your hair to cup your face and stroke your cheek with his thumb. 

He pulls back to stroke his thumb over your lower lip and smile gently down at you. You try to look up at him but you ultimately feel bad. You just can't tell if he's acting as Flynt or as Cole. You start wondering if all this is just a one-night stand with Flynt, and that's when you realise that that's not what you want at all. And that after this, Cole won't want to hang out with you.

Cole notices your hesitation and reaches down to hold your hands. “What’s up?” he asks with concern.

You sigh.  _ May as well come completely clean at this point _ . “I just...I don't know now if I'm kissing Flynt or Cole. Or if this is just the once or if I should expect more or…”

Cole holds your chin between his finger and thumb and tilts it up for you to look at him. He smiles softly again. “Hey. Flynt and Cole are both still the same person you're stood in front of. The only difference is that nobody normally gets to see my Flynt side.”

“Unless they get curious when their roommate talks about camboys and they find your stream and watch you religiously over the course of a weekend,” you chuckle heavily. 

Cole brings your eye level back to his. “Well, I'm glad you did.” You narrow your eyes and he continues. “You know, I've wanted you even before I joined the Vivids, way before I started Flynt. I just never knew how to channel that, and then...One day I get an ad in my email asking for boys to livestream nude stuff for money. A lot of money. People paid to watch me get myself off, but…” he shrugs, “I always imagined them as you.” Your eyes widen as he continues. “You're all I think about anyway, so it made things easier for me. Then someone comes along with your wit and your style of speaking and it rolled from there,” he shrugs. “What I'm trying to say, is I want you around. I am both Flynt and Cole, and no matter what we do, I want us to do it together.”

You wrap your arms around Cole in relief and he kisses the top of your head. “So…” You start, feeling your way around his torso and finally stopping yourself from repressing [username], “You ever think about me doing this?” You slide your hand down past his briefs to hold onto the base of his cock and start pumping it. 

He immediately moans out, pressing one hand on the door just next to your head and bending down to rest his forehead on yours. “God, yes, all the time.”

“What else do you think of?” you ask again, a little quietly. 

“I think of you wearing a lot less than that sweater,” he mumbles. “I think of you squirming under my fingers, moaning my name. I think of you sat on my cock, riding me when I'm fully inside you.”

You let out a whine and he smirks, reaching down with the hand not holding him up to push your pyjama shorts and panties aside and sliding a finger into you, causing your whines to get louder.

“Ever thought of  _ me _ doing  _ this _ ?” he retorts, and you nod breathlessly. He continues, “You like the thought of me being  _ deep  _ inside of you?” He presses his finger all the way into you at the word  _ deep _ and he smirks as you gasp out sharply. You soon wipe that off his face as your strokes get faster.

He growls softly as he continues, “You wanna get on top of me and bounce on my dick, huh? Is that what you want?”

You grin devilishly up at him, feeling your confidence thrive. “Haven't decided yet. Maybe I'd rather have you pin me down and fuck my brains out,” your grip on Cole gets a little tighter and he whimpers. “Or maybe I'll get on my hands and knees so you can play with my ass, too…But that's only if you're good,” you look up and wink at him.

His eyes narrow, “If I'm  _ good _ ?” he asks almost in disbelief. “I think you'll find this much more beneficial if  _ you're  _ the one that obeys.”

“Prove it,” you smirk, which soon falls as Cole adds another finger and curves them.

You cry out with pleasure and he grins. “See? Now imagine that's my cock, filling you all the way, hitting every sweet spot. Maybe I'll bang you against the wall, maybe on the bed. Maybe I'll have you propped up against my desk so I can fuck you there, too. I want you making all those noises for me until you're ready to cum just for me.”

“That's - all - I have - been doing, lately,” you pant out.

“Oh yeah?” the cocky smirk returns, though not for long when you quicken your pace again. He spends a moment just standing there, his hand moving out from inside you to fall to his side in defeat, his eyelids fluttering shut and his lips just parting, softly gasping out air. He manages to regain his composure and open his eyes. “What do you think of when you do?”

“You being much less talk and much more action,” you grin back.

“You want  _ me _ to be more action?” Cole cocks his head, crossing his arms. His tattoos dance beneath his tensed muscles and the silver bar through his nipple flashes as it catches the light. “I'm sorry, who's the one stood in their underwear, and who's wearing a sweater?”

You scoff, “Do I really have to do everything myself?”

“I think I've done enough performing for you,” he counters, moving your hand away from him. He walks over to lay across his bed, interlacing his fingers behind his head and tilting his head up. “Put on a show for me.”

You frown, “What, no music?” 

Cole stretches right over - for some reason you'd forgotten how good he looks with his muscles all tensed and boy, did this remind you - to flick through a bunch of playlists before selecting one and plugging his phone into a set of speakers on his nightstand. As it plays, he gestures to you before returning both his hands behind his head.

The bassline of this song is fairly simple, and you find your hips swaying to it with next to no effort. Despite internally worrying that something would go wrong, your sweater slides off easily. You wouldn't even  _ do _ this sort of thing normally, but all that talk has brought out the [username] in full force. You wonder if that's why everything is happening so easily.

You slowly lift your tank top up until the lower part of your breasts are uncovered. Cole shuffles a little to sit up some more and you pull the shirt back down again with a wicked grin. Cole sticks his lower lip out at you, keeping one hand up to hold his head and resting the other on his crotch. In all honesty, you're ready to just climb on top of him then at this point, but this is your chance to put him in  _ his _ place a little.

You hook your thumbs under your shorts and panties and Cole cocks his head to look down at the sight. You pull them down just below your hips and Cole takes a deep breath in, his grip moving on his crotch. You turn around to face away from him and hear him groan. You pull the tank top clean off and he whines, “No fair, I wanna see!” 

You carry on, sliding your shorts down to your ankles, deliberately sticking your ass out towards him. You hear him breathe out a  _ God… _ and can't help but swell with pride. Once those are off, you turn back to face him and slide your hands up your thighs and stomach to play with your breasts. Your eyes flutter shut and you hear the gentle creak of bedsprings before being joined by Cole.

He stands behind you, moving your hands away to grab at your chest himself as he plants kisses all across your shoulders and grinds against you. “I could watch you all night,” he purrs, “but I could also think of something much more fun to do all night.” 

“You can only think of it, can you? I knew it, you're no action,” you tease again with a smirk.

“Well, I don't want to do anything that you don't want to. I'm just making sure,” he answers simply.

You turn around to face him, slipping one hand back into his briefs and holding his shoulder with the other. “Did you need reminding?”

Cole lets out a soft moan. “Not needed, but message received and most definitely reciprocated,” he purrs as he plunges two fingers into you. You gasp, digging your nails into his shoulder. 

You move both hands up to pull his face towards yours and into a heated kiss. He stops his teasing to pull you back towards his bed. You both fall onto the bed, still kissing, and he lifts your legs to straddle him better. You rock your hips down onto the erection almost bursting through his briefs and he leans back, reaching his arms behind him and resting on them. He jerks his hips up and you pull on his hair, running your fingers through his curls and tugging on them lightly.

He moans your name into your mouth and you swell with joy. You break off to start kissing up his neck, moving up to his ear where you purr, “You could be saying that a whole lot more…” as you toy with the elastic of his underwear.

He scoops you up and practically throws you aside so you land on the bed on your back. He stands tall, rolling his briefs down to expose the V dip that hugs around his hips and just down to where the tip of his member pokes out. You bite your lip in anticipation and Cole suddenly pulls his underwear back up with a gasp. You whimper softly and he smirks. “Not so fun when it's me doing it, is it?”

You shrug, “I can always get myself off, if necessary. Lucky I got this bed  _ all to myself _ ,” you stretch out on the bed as far as you can, arching your back as you start rubbing between your legs. Cole cocks his head in interest, but you soon look away from him.

While you do want to tease him right back as he's trying to do with you, you also don't want to end up climaxing too soon. You rub around your folds and wiggle your hips, deliberately moaning out.

Your tactic seems to work, as he practically rips off his underwear and strides over to you. He pulls your wrist out from between your thighs, moves the other into his grip and holds them above your head. “You're in my office,” he growls with an authoritative tone. “Anything you do here, you do with my consent. Got it?” You nod and his lips are tugged into a smirk. “Good girl.”

“So, now that I'm in your office, how do you want me?” You ask, looking up at him with big eyes.

Cole hums, “Mmm, I am spoilt for choice here, aren't I?” He pushes your wrists into the pillow before letting go, silently telling you to keep them there. He reaches over to his nightstand and takes out a condom, which he slips over himself. “Stay there for now,” he commands as he climbs onto the bed, positioning himself between your legs.

He pushes your legs up so they bend at the knee, burying two fingers inside of you with ease. Your hips arch off the bed completely as you moan loudly. After a few strokes of that, Cole adds another finger. It's a bigger stretch and it takes a moment to get adjusted, but you soon start to cave, gasping out his name and begging him from more.

He pulls out, sucking on his fingers and letting his eyes roll with pleasure at the taste of you. Once he's cleaned himself, he positions his cock to slide it up and down your folds. You bite your lip as you cry out in frustration, “God,  _ please _ , Cole…”

“Since you asked nicely,” he smirks, and finally he presses himself inside of you. That last stretch certainly helped as he slides in with ease, and you're met immediately with a tide of pleasure. Cole leans over you to hold each of your hands either side of you as he snaps his hips against yours. 

You moan his name again and he bends his head to kiss you with fiery passion. His tongue dances with yours as he builds a steady rhythm. His thrusts get stronger each time; his mattress wails beneath you as they do. The sound of springs creaking mixed with his gruff moans entangle in the air, and the medley of sounds intoxicates you. 

You whimper as you feel your muscles start to tense. He seems to notice this as he finishes the kiss by suckling at your lower lip. The act is every bit as tantalising as you'd dreamt it, despite it being the most tame thing happening at this moment. He lets go of your hands and lifts himself up to hold onto the headboard as he moves quicker and quicker. You grab at the pillow behind your head as you start to feel light-headed. A feeling akin to electricity sparks through every part of you that touches Cole all through way through to your core until you can't help but call his name as you as all your muscles tense and relax in one sweet burst.

You pant heavily, feeling your hair sticking to your brow and blowing air up to it with no avail. With an affectionate chuckle, Cole moves it out of the way and kisses your forehead. “You good?” he asks. When you nod, he pulls out of you and taps your hips lightly. “Alright. Hands and knees.”

You huff out a breath, “Give me a minute!”

“Alright, sorry,” he chuckles, laying next to you. You do feel a little bad, so you reach down and start gently stroking him again. He smiles lazily, “Tease.”

“I just don't want this going to waste, that's all,” you roll your head to rest on him and he does the same.

“Considering the fact I've got a very beautiful girl in my bed right now, I know it's not going anywhere,” he says without laughing, but you can hear the amusement in his voice.

You, however, do giggle. “Alright. On your back.”

Cole's brow furrows, “Funny, I don't remember giving you permission to give orders,” his voice screams cockiness. 

“I need to make good on something I promised you,” you nudge Cole's head up with your own and nod to him when he looks down at you.

“What's that, then?” He asks with a soft smirk as he lays flat on his back. 

You roll over, resting your palms on his chest and propping your chin up on your hands. “When I mentioned you convincing me to watch you more, you told me not to pin that all on you.”

Cole grins with realisation. “You asked me if you could pin something else on me, and I said-”

“Only if it's my body,” you finish for him as you climb on top of him. Lining yourself up with him, you sink down until he fills you completely. Your eyes shut as your lips part just open. Cole props himself up onto his elbows and starts to rock his hips up further into you, but you soon stop him, pressing his shoulders down and lying further down with him. You push yourself up and down his cock, holding his wrists in a similar way that he'd had yours.

Cole's heavy-lidded, full-blown eyes lock with yours as you move. His moans are soft and low until you reach over to tug his hair. His sounds become louder, encouraging you, but you resist getting any rougher. Can't damage the merchandise, after all. If people saw Flynt with a hickey he'd lose that charm. 

You do still encourage him, though. You throw his wrists so that his palms fall onto your back. When he digs his nails into you, you bury your face in his neck and hum encouragingly. He takes the hint, scratching up and down your back as you move around him in rhythm.

Soon after, he sits himself up, still bouncing you up and down on his lap. You wrap your arms around his neck to keep your balance despite the change of position as Cole starts to play with your breasts. He kneads them beneath his hands, brushing the pads of his thumbs over your nipples before taking them into his mouth. Your chest grows sensitive with every motion and soon your whole body starts to tingle again. 

Cole's muscles seem to be tensing, too. His face suddenly furrows and his movements become sharper. His hands grab at your hips, his fingernails digging in again. His lip slips through his teeth every time he goes to bite it until he pulls you close to him, tugging on your hair until he tenses once more, moaning your name into your ear as he does. Hearing Cole say it like that drives you over the edge too as you scream into his shoulder.

Cole relaxes, laying himself back completely and reaching out to trace shapeless patterns on your torso. “Well, that was fun,” he smirks.

“Sure was,” you grin back before climbing off him. “You wanna go clean up?”

“Give me a minute!” he repeats your tone from earlier and you laugh, batting his chest lightly - and being especially wary not to bash his piercing. 

“You weren't so patient earlier!” You point out and Cole sticks his tongue out at you. You hum, “Surprised that isn't pierced either.”

“I was thinking of having that one done next, actually,” Cole replies lightly.

You take comfort in how easily conversation still flows. You kick yourself internally for getting so worked up over it, of course, but that's overshadowed by the sheer euphoria of being around Cole. When he does go to clean up, you grab your phone. No reason why, nobody would contact you at this time, you just like having it close to you.

It does make you wary of the time. Yes, your roommate is a heavy sleeper, but Cole's bed is just so warm and, well, he comes with the territory too. So that's another plus.

You certainly aren't looking forward to the walk of shame in the morning, though, since you have no other clothes. You get changed back into your sleepwear anyway and soon Cole returns, also dressed. He notices you worrying and asks, “What's up?” as he ruffles your hair.

You hum with a frown, “I should probably get going now.”

“Oh. You can stay if you want!” he offers brightly and you can't help but grin back.

“You're sweet, but that would mean me having to walk across the dorms in my pyjamas. People will know. People will judge.”

“Eh, screw people,” Cole waves his hand in the air and you laugh. “If you’re tired, I could run over and grab you some clothes!”

“You sure?” You ask, and Cole nods enthusiastically, his now wild pink curls bouncing around. “My roommate’s a heavy sleeper and I already put my outfit out at the foot of my bed.”

“It pays to be prepared,” Cole says in a funny voice, making you laugh again. He grabs the key you left by the door, runs back to kiss you goodbye and heads out the room.

He returns shortly after with arms full of clothes and rosy cheeks. “Your roommate isn't as much of a heavy sleeper as you think.”

You narrow your eyes, “What? They never wake up!”

“Well, as I went to leave the room, I definitely heard them say ‘Goodnight, Cole’,” he mumbles and even you blush.

You look back at your phone to see a text from them:  _ I'd say “nailed it” but it's obvious I'm not the one doing the nailing tonight ;) happy for you kids <3 also never bring him here to do that while I'm here pls. _

_ So that time I walked in on you… _

_ I thought you were at your parents’ for one more day and you didn't warn me! Anyway. Get back to your little punk boy. See you whenever you're done banging. _

You laugh as you set your phone aside. Cole joins you in the bed and cuddles you close, playing his fingers lightly through your hair. “So...Wanna do something tomorrow night?”

You furrow your brow. “Aren't you working tomorrow?”

“Well…” Cole starts. “I should probably retire Flynt for now, right? As long as we're..?”

You look up at him. “I know how much you love being Flynt. I don't wanna rob you of that completely just because we're dating,” hearing those words aloud makes the two of you beam widely. 

“You don't mind me still performing?” he asks with amazement. “Even though I have to get...Y’know,  _ intimate _ ?”

You laugh, “As long as you don't start physically mailing yourself to people, I'm good with you selling what you got for them.” Cole takes your face in his hands and kisses you excitedly. As he breaks away you add, “Though all I ask is that you start earlier so you can finish earlier. Or you take a couple of days off a week. You need your rest!”

“With what just happened, I believe that!” he laughs, and you tickle his side, making him squirm. “Alright, done.”

You cuddle up closely to Cole and he wraps his arms around you, resting his head on yours as you hear his breathing grow slow, steady and soft. With one more smile, you bury your head in his chest and fall asleep on him, too.


End file.
